The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of conductor score use (conducting with a musical score vs. conducting without a score) on observers' perceptions of conductors. We also examined how those effects may differ when viewed from the ensemble perspective compared to the audience perspective. Participants (N = 126) were collegiate…

In this paper we discuss the musical work of classical composer Benjamin Britten as a lasting legacy for public music education. Our starting point is the contemporary urgency to rethink both public music education in general, and the public-educational significance of Western classical music in particular, in the face of the dual threats posed by…

In 1950, percussionist and pedagogue Paul Price established an accredited collegiate percussion ensemble course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the first of its kind in the country. In this article, I argue that Price's accreditation of the genre, coupled with his many other entrepreneurial initiatives, was made possible by the…

The purpose of this study was to examine invited orchestras and their selected repertoire at the Midwest Clinic from 1990 through 2019. A majority of invited orchestras (N = 261) were from the United States and primarily consisted of high school musicians. The most performed piece for full orchestra was "Symphony No. 8, op." 88 by Dvorák…

Witnessing the last periods of the Ottoman Empire and the first years of the Republic, Muallim Ismail Hakki Bey, like some great composers in the history of Turkish music, made important works to ensure that these "makams" are not forgotten by producing new works from "makams" that he noticed were rarely used in his lifetime.…

This study explores young people's arts participation through music-making in Finland and the factors that may regulate that participation. It seeks to understand the construction of active modes of arts participation in and through adolescents' musical life courses. The interview study was conducted with young people (N = 18) participating in…

In this article, we situate songwriting in elementary spaces as a vehicle for personal and musical expression and informed by popular music practices. We offer insights for how educators can anchor students' work by encouraging them to create songs for a specific purpose like shedding light on social issues relevant to their lives. This article…

Band repertoire lists evolved from a desire to make the school band experience "more educational" when school bands themselves were relatively new. The first national band repertoire list was created for the National Band Contest in 1924, with new lists published annually through 1943. These lists gave prominence to the literature they…

Modern band programs have spread throughout the United States to create learner-centered and culturally affirming school music experiences for children. The four key concepts of modern band, (1) approximation and scaffolding, (2) decision-making, (3) iconic notation, and (4) culturally sustaining (music education), are congruent with many…

Purpose: This paper aims to explore sonic play in close proximity to a music, literacy and songwriting for social change community-based initiative. The authors leverage ideas about time, space and narrative under the concept of sonic flux to understand youth's sonic and aural play on digital beatmaking technologies. In doing so, the authors break…

Marching and indoor concert bands have used music from the classical European repertory for many years. The benefits and drawbacks of such usage are numerous. One of the benefits of marching band transcriptions is a wider dissemination of cultural capital to more diverse audiences. To explore the implications of marching band transcriptions of…

It can be difficult to navigate the tasks of repertoire selection and part assignments in a way that produces a successful performance product while also being educationally beneficial to all students. However, researchers have explored methods of ensuring these goals through repertoire selection. In this article, I present ideas for how educators…

My string quartet, "Out of the Snowstorm, an Owl" was begun in 2014, but personal circumstances delayed its completion until 2017. It received its premiere at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018, performed by the Brodick Quartet. In the present inquiry, I will explain how this music was created in response to the transformation…

The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate conductors' personal approaches to conducting practice, practice time allocation, and beliefs about their conducting abilities. Participants (N = 126) were undergraduate conductors enrolled in basic conducting courses at 17 NASM (National Association of Schools of Music)--accredited…

The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of repertoire performed by youth orchestras in the United States. Through an online survey, youth orchestra administrators (N = 39) provided information about repertoire performed by their program's premier orchestra during their 2015-2016 season. Orchestras performed 302 different…